The present invention relates generally to communications, and more particularly, to communications over integrated fiber in the loop systems.
Integrated fiber in the loop (IFITL) and fiber to the curb (FTTC) are terms used to describe installation of fiber optic cables from a telephone switch to within 1,000 feet of a home or enterprise. In a typical installation, fiber optic cables extend from the telephone switch to an equipment pedestal that serves a small number of homes. From the equipment pedestal, digital TV is delivered to the home using coaxial cable, whereas voice and data are delivered to the home using twisted pair cabling. This data, sometimes referred to as PCDATA, is delivered over a high-speed connection, illustratively 1.544 MB/s downstream and 256 KB/s upstream, between a customer premises and an ISP (Internet Service Provider). The physical interface to the customer premises is a standard twisted-pair Ethernet connection, illustratively using 10 Base T Ethernet with a local area network (LAN) speed of 10 MB/s.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional integrated fiber in the loop (IFITL) system. A first optical network unit (ONU) 134 contains a plurality of ports, such as first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth ports 121-128, respectively. A first customer premises 101 is connected to first port 121, illustratively using twisted-pair Category 5 Ethernet cable. Likewise, a second customer premises 102 is connected to second port 122; a third customer premises 103 is connected to third port 123; a fourth customer premises 104 is connected to fourth port 124; a fifth customer premises 105 is connected to fifth port 125; a sixth customer premises 106 is connected to sixth port 126; a seventh customer premises 107 is connected to seventh port 127; and an eighth customer premises 108 is connected to eighth port 128. A typical ONU, such as first ONU 134, includes eight ports. Accordingly, if a large number of customer premises are to be served, additional ONUs may be employed. For example, a ninth customer premises 109 is served by a port 131 of a second ONU 133. The structure, functionality, and implementation of first ONU 134 and second ONU 133 are matters well within the knowledge of those having ordinary skill in the relevant art.
Data from up to eight ONUs, including first and second ONUs 134, 133, are multiplexed by an optical channel shelf (OCS) 137 of a remote digital terminal (RDT) 143. RDT 143 combines the output of OCS 137, in the form of an Ethernet 10 Base T data stream, with the outputs of other OCS's (such as OCS 139) at an Ethernet switch 141, to generate an Ethernet 100 Base F data stream. Ethernet switch 141 of RDT 143 delivers the 100 Base F data stream over fiber optic cable to an Ethernet switch 154 at a telephone company central office 135. Ethernet switch 154 further combines the 100 Base F data streams from a plurality of RDTs (including RDT 143) to generate a single 100 Base T data stream which is fed to a services mediation switch 155. The structure, functionality, and implementation of RDT 143, OCS 137, OCS 139, Ethernet switch 141, Ethernet switch 154, and services mediation switch 155 are matters well within the knowledge of those having ordinary skill in the relevant art.
Services mediation switch 155 is in communication with one or more authentication servers 145, 186 at one or more ISPs, such as first ISP 142 and second ISP 182. First ISP 142 maintains a user database 161, and second ISP 182 maintains a user database 184. User databases 161 and 182 include information associating each of a plurality of customer phone numbers with corresponding customer IDs, as well as information associating each of a plurality of customer IDs with corresponding customer IP addresses. A network management system 153 manages network resources such as first ONU 134, second ONU 133, RDT 143, Ethernet switch 154, and services mediation switch 155. One function of network management system 153 is to keep track of the manner in which network resources are provisioned or allocated to customers. Information pertaining to the allocation of network resources is stored in a customer information database 151. The structure, functionality, and implementation of authentication servers 145, 186, first ISP 142, second ISP 182, user databases 161, 184, network management system 153, and customer information database 151 are matters well within the knowledge of those having ordinary skill in the relevant art.
When IFITL service was first offered, no mechanism was in place by which particular ONU ports (such as first port 121 and second port 122) could be pre-provisioned for use by specific customers. As a practical matter, all ONU ports 121-128 were enabled so that, when a new customer wished to receive IFITL service, a field technician could connect the customer to any enabled port not already being used by another customer. Customer information database 151 was loaded with an unverified information table 401 associating each of a plurality of customer premises with a corresponding ONU assignment and a corresponding unverified ONU port assignment. This assignment is referred to as an unverified port assignment because the particular ONU port used by a specific customer premises was not always accurately recorded in customer information database 151. For example, unverified information table 401 may correctly specify that third customer premises 103 is using first ONU 134, but this table might erroneously indicate that third customer premises 103 is assigned to eighth port 128, not third port 123.
The practice of not accurately recording customer ONU port assignments has adverse consequences when an order is received to disconnect a customer. Using information recorded in customer information database 151, the wrong customer premises may be disconnected from IFITL service, possibly inconveniencing a paying customer while allowing a delinquent customer continued access. Further to the example presented in the immediately preceding paragraph, if a disconnect order is received to disconnect third customer premises 103, eighth port 128 is disabled because customer list for first ONU 157 erroneously indicates that eighth port 128 is assigned to third customer premises 103. However, disabling eighth port 128 disconnects IFITL service to eighth customer premises 108, and not to third customer premises 103. Accordingly, what is needed is a technique for accurately matching a customer premises with an ONU port accessed at that customer premises.